Daddyhunt: The Serial Returns for Second Season, With a Focus on PrEP

“Better safe than syphilis.”

A year after its acclaimed first season, Daddyhunt: The Serial is back, continuing the saga of two New York men who connect on the social network Daddyhunt.

The original series was a surprise hit in 2016, racking up over two million views and tens of thousands of shares in the week after its January debut. The second series picks up where the first left off, as the two New Yorkers (BJ Gruber and Jim Newman), move from initial flirtation to romance — and sex.

“We were blown away by the reaction to the series,” said Carl Sandler, founder of Daddyhunt. “There’s a deep-seated desire for stories about gay men that are not only funny and charming, but true to life. So this time, we wanted to go deeper, and address the reality of modern gay life — which, for many of us today, includes a discussion of PrEP and safer sex.”

For the second series, Daddyhunt partnered with Building Healthy Online Communities (BHOC), a San Francisco-based national public health initiative which works with dating sites and apps to advance sexual health. BHOC worked with the cast and crew to help them craft a storyline that included a discussion of safer sex, including Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis or PrEP, the daily medication that can block transmission of HIV.

The team also collaborated on a series of PSAs featuring the series’ actors talking about the importance of making informed choices about the different methods of preventing STDs and HIV — including condoms, PrEP, and HIV treatment, as well as regular testing.

“We were thrilled when Daddyhunt approached us to work with them on the second season,” said Dan Wohlfeiler, Director of BHOC. “It’s this kind of partnership that helps us reach guys where they’re already going, and in a way they can relate to.”